Scientific Realism Made Effective
Abstrak
I argue that a common philosophical approach to the interpretation of physical theories—particularly quantum field theories—has led philosophers astray. It has driven many to declare the quantum field theories employed by practicing physicists, so-called effective field theories, to be unfit for philosophical interpretation. In particular, such theories have been deemed unable to support a realist interpretation. I argue that these claims are mistaken: attending to the manner in which these theories are employed in physical practice, I show that interpreting effective field theories yields a robust foundation for a more refined approach to scientific realism in the context of quantum field theory. The article concludes by briefly sketching some general morals for interpretive practice in the philosophy of physics. 1 Introduction 2 The Standard Account of Theory Interpretation 2.1 Vices of the standard account 3 A More Effective Realism 3.1 Approximate truth 3.2 Scales and ontology 4 Conclusion 1 Introduction 2 The Standard Account of Theory Interpretation 2.1 Vices of the standard account 2.1 Vices of the standard account 3 A More Effective Realism 3.1 Approximate truth 3.2 Scales and ontology 3.1 Approximate truth 3.2 Scales and ontology 4 Conclusion
Topik & Kata Kunci
Penulis (1)
Porter Williams
Akses Cepat
- Tahun Terbit
- 2019
- Bahasa
- en
- Total Sitasi
- 95×
- Sumber Database
- Semantic Scholar
- DOI
- 10.1093/bjps/axx043
- Akses
- Open Access ✓